Aston Villa are flying-high in the Championship table following an excellent start to the season, with manager Steve Bruce’s sights firmly set on second place Cardiff City approaching the halfway stage of the season.

Villa lie seven points behind their Welsh promotion rivals, but Bruce will remain confident that his side can begin to bridge the gap heading into a busy Christmas fixture pile-up.

The club have been struck by injury setbacks in recent weeks, with John Terry and Jonathan Kodjia ruled out for long spells, but the club have continued to perform well, with the likes of Albert Adomah and Chris Samba stepping into their stricken teammate’s roles with ease.

Having endured a difficult first year of Championship football last semester, the club will certainly be there or thereabouts in May, with Bruce keen to guide his side back to the top-flight following what will be a two-year exodus.

A promotion bid will be mentally and physically draining, and Villa have been handed a distraction from their league concerns with a favourable FA Cup tie, with Bruce’s men set to play host to the winners of the replay between Woking and Peterborough United.

Fans took to Twitter to have their say on the draw, with many uninspired by the prospect of facing League One or National League opponents…

Happy with that. Should allow some of the younger or fringe players an opportunity to play